It started in Vermont.
A getaway trip for New Year’s 2024 was supposed to be just that: a break from municipal and everyday life in Southbury, Connecticut.
Holly Sullivan stepped into the shower at her Airbnb, wearing her contact lenses – a routine act, but one that set off a medical spiral that nearly took her vision.
By spring, she would be commuting to Boston for treatments for her left eye and struggling to navigate the world with only one working eye.
“I almost went blind,” Sullivan, 43, says now after what she describes as a “miraculous” recovery.
It’s called Acanthamoeba keratitis. The rare disease is most common among people who wear contact lenses, with several risk factors, including lens use during swimming and showering, as well as exposure to contaminated water.
Diagnosis is difficult and often delayed, but Sullivan knew something was wrong.
“It was the most painful thing in my life,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan’s medical journey included an aggressive treatment plan, the possibility of her needing a home aide, and, at its most severe point, getting fitted for a possible cornea transplant.
Some of the treatment included around-the-clock medication, requiring her to stay up for consecutive days at a time. To try to eradicate the flesh-eating amoeba, swimming pool cleaners are used, as in Sullivan’s case.
The debilitating eye infection, as well as the side effects of the prescription medicine, affected her everyday life, and she was missing some of her meetings in Town Hall as an elected member of the Board of Selectmen.
Separately from her municipal duties, she is also the president of the Connecticut Citizens Defense League, the state’s largest gun rights organization.
A Moment of Mistake
On May 16, 2024, during the height of her medical treatment, Sullivan was cited in a sixth-degree larceny case after failing to scan an item at a self-checkout. She said it was a genuine mistake, made in a moment of limited visibility. The charge was dismissed 11 months later.
A statement provided by her attorney reads, “There was no dispute that she scanned the rest of the items. She had limited vision at the time, and it was a simple error. It was undisputed that she was still in the store when the error was discovered.”
The Danbury Police Department confirmed the incident but did not release an arrest report, citing the dismissal of charges earlier this year.
No public mention of the incident was made at that time.
“I made a genuine error because of visual impairment,” Sullivan told The Record recently.
First Selectman Jeff Manville says he was aware of Sullivan’s medical condition, but unaware of the incident in Danbury until questioned by The Record.
“I think the legal system saw no intent,” said Manville.
Despite her medical challenges, Sullivan continued to serve on the Board of Selectmen and has since turned her personal ordeal into advocacy.
She is now supporting a proposed bill that would require retailers to disclose the health risks posed by contact lenses at the point of sale. Proposed Bill No. 5168 has been referred to the Joint Committee on General Law as of January.
“I wanted to bring positive change so other people don’t have to go through the same thing,” said Sullivan.
The Southbury Record 
